Department for Communities and Local Government

Built Environment Select Committee (HL)

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their response to the report of the Select Committee on National Policy on the Built Environment, Building Better Places, published on 19 February.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Department for Communities and Local Government has been coordinating the Government's response to the report of the Select Commitee on National Policy on the Built Environment. The response was published (attached) on Tuesday 8 November, see below the link.http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/financial-exclusion/CM9347-Select-Comittee-Response-on-Built-Environment-updated-1-Print.pdf 



National Policy on the Built Environment
(PDF Document, 275.75 KB)

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why North Yorkshire County Council receives the sixth lowest allowance for childcare providers amongst 160 county councils; and what plans there are to develop a "more level playing field" for providers as set out in the Department for Education consultation Early years funding: changes to funding for 3 and 4 year olds.

Lord Nash: This Government is investing £1 billion of additional funding per year in the early years free entitlements, including £300 million per year to increase the national average funding rate. We are determined to allocate this record investment fairly and transparently and that is why we have consulted on an Early Years National Funding Formula, which will determine the funding rates of all local authorities, including North Yorkshire. This consultation has now closed and we will respond in the Autumn. The consultation included a proposal to require all local authorities to use a universal base rate for all providers from 2019-20 at the latest. This approach will ensure that no child is disadvantaged, in terms of the funding available to support their early education, by the type of childcare setting which they attend.

English Baccalaureate

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Department for Education will publish their response to the consultation on their plans to make it compulsory for all pupils starting secondary school in 2015 to take the English Baccalaureate subjects when they reach their GCSEs in 2020.

Lord Nash: We are considering the responses to the consultation on the implementation of the EBacc, and will publish the Government response in due course.

HM Treasury

Taxation

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 25 October (HL2200), whether they will consider using a more flexible and variable approach to setting VAT and Excise duties for different goods and services to improve the nation's health and wellbeing, after the UK leaves the EU.

Lord Young of Cookham: As I stated in my answer of 25 October (HL2200), until the UK has left the EU, we will remain a member of the EU with all the rights and obligations that membership entails. The Government will work hard to get the best deal for Britain, including for VAT and excise, and is determined to make the most of the opportunities that are presented.

Private Equity

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review the tax benefits extended to private equity partners by the application of a special rate to carried interest income.

Lord Young of Cookham: The Government has taken decisive steps to ensure that asset managers pay their fair share of tax. In Summer Budget 2015, the Government closed loopholes to ensure that asset managers pay the right amount of Capital Gains Tax on their carried interest. Legislation in the Finance Act 2016 ensures that this carried interest remains subject to a Capital Gains Tax rate of 28% for higher and additional rate tax payers, despite the cut in the main rate of Capital Gains Tax to 20%. In addition, legislation in the Finance Act 2016 ensures that asset managers engaged in short-term trading activity are subject to income tax on the carried interest they receive, rather than Capital Gains Tax.

National Insurance Contributions

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an estimate of the revenue that would be raised by (1) a one percentage point rise in the rate of national insurance, and (2) the imposition of national insurance contributions of one per cent on employees who have reached State Pension age; and if so, how much those estimated revenues would be.

Lord Young of Cookham: The estimated impact of increasing the rate of employees National Insurance Contributions (NICs) can be found in HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) 2016 publication the Direct effects of illustrative tax changes, which can be found on the gov.uk website. The 2018-19 figures are given in the table below: Direct effects of illustrative changes (£m)  National Insurance Contributions Rates 2018-19Change Class 1 employee main rate by 1 percent point4,100Change Class 1 employee additional rate by 1 percent point920Change Class 1 employer rate by 1 percentage point5,200Change Class 2 rate by £1 per week160Change Class 4 main rate by 1 percentage point340Change Class 4 additional rate by 1 percentage point210 HMRC currently estimates that the direct effect of imposing NICs charged at 1% on those over State Pension age would raise around £100m in employee NIC receipts in 2018-19. This is comparable to the table above. The estimate is based on the latest Survey of Personal Incomes (2013-14), which has been projected in line with Budget 2016 economic assumptions from the Office of Budget Responsibility.

London Stock Exchange: Deutsche Borse

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of the merger of the London Stock Exchange and the Deutsche Börse being effected through a holding company incorporated and headquartered in the UK.

Lord Young of Cookham: I refer the noble Lord to the reply of 26 April, provided by Lord O'Neill of Gatley. Further information about the group’s proposed structure, and the merger process in general, is available on the LSE Group investor relations website. In addition, once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Farmers: Recruitment

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to support young farmers to stay in farming and to encourage new entrants to become farmers.

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they have identified as the main barriers to young entrants hoping to become farmers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Having a skilled workforce in place, attracting new talent and ensuring there are opportunities to enter and progress through the farming sector is vital for the future of UK food and farming. The Government recognises there are barriers facing young new entrants to get started in farming including the high cost of land and access to finance. The Government is exploring the range of different farm business models that can open up opportunities for new entrants such as agricultural tenancies, share-farming, contract farming, franchise farming and joint ventures. These business models can provide young new farmers with an opportunity to gain experience and build up capital to progress their careers in farming. The Government is currently providing additional support for young new entrants into farming through the EU Basic Payment Scheme where eligible farmers aged between 18 and 40 can claim a 25% uplift on up to 90 hectares of their Basic Payment Scheme payments for up to five years after they have started in business. Support is also provided through EU Rural Development Programme schemes including the Growth Programme and LEADER providing help for rural entrepreneurs including farmers setting up a new business or expanding or improving an existing business. In addition the Countryside Productivity scheme provides support to help increase productivity and enhance the competitiveness of farming and forestry industries. Defra also provides grant support to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs to provide training opportunities for young farmers and we are working with the Food and Drink Federation to treble the number of apprenticeships across the sector. Whilst the UK is a member of the EU these funding streams will remain in place and Defra continues to engage with young farmers to help shape our future plans for UK agricultural policy outside of the EU.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to introduce a subsidy ceiling on farm payments; and if so, what ceiling.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There are currently no plans to introduce a subsidy ceiling on farm payments. Previously, the Government has opposed the European Commission’s proposals for capping farm payments due to the risk that to do so would simply encourage farms to restructure into smaller, and perhaps, less efficient units to avoid losing out on payments. However, the government is looking at how best to support farming and the countryside after we leave the EU.

Livestock: Animal Feed

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made a comparative assessment of the animal welfare, environmental and human health benefits of pasture-fed livestock, against livestock raised on a primarily grain-based diet.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Department has not made a direct comparative assessment of the animal welfare, environmental and human health benefits of grass-fed against grain-fed diets, although we are aware of various research reports and industry initiatives which support the view that grass feeding can have benefits for animal welfare and the environment, and play a part in determining meat quality.

Livestock: Animal Feed

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will develop guidance on the use of the term "grass-fed" for livestock so that consumers can make more informed decisions when buying meat and dairy products.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There is no legal definition of “grass-fed“ in relation to livestock rearing practice, although there is a general obligation in food labelling and consumer law that food labelling should not mislead the consumer and this obligation remains in place. Previous voluntary labelling guidance defined grass-fed as “fed primarily on grass in the field”. Defra is currently working on a range of proposals to inform discussions about the shape of a future agriculture policy and we want to ensure that the future regulatory framework continues to provide consumers with confidence in the food that they are buying, and continues to secure our world-leading reputation for high quality and standards.

Farmers: Age

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the average age of farmers in England; and what assessment they have made of the impact of farmers' ages on the future of English farming.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government publication Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2015 shows that the median age of farm holders in the UK is 59. Having a skilled workforce in place, attracting new talent and ensuring that there are opportunities to enter and progress through the farming sector is vital for the future of UK food and farming. The Government is aware of concerns about the aging profile of farming and recognises the challenges facing young new entrants to farming including the high cost of land and access to finance. The Government is keen to work with industry to explore and promote a range of different farm business models where established farmers can open up opportunities to the next generation of young farmers to gain a foothold and experience in the sector such as agricultural tenancies, share-farming, contract farming, franchise farming and joint ventures.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the demand for seasonal workers in the agricultural industry to ensure crops are harvested in the required timescales.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Supporting our farmers and protecting the environment will form an important part of our exit from the EU. We are now focused on making sure that all our policies are delivering for the UK and to grow our world-leading food and farming industry. We regularly meet farmers and industry representatives and are well aware of the challenges farmers face as their need for workers fluctuates depending on the season and the state of the crop. With regard to seasonal labour, until we leave the EU, there are no changes to labour movements. Defra is very aware that migrant workers from other EU countries will be one of the complex issues that will have to be resolved as part of our exit negotiation and future relationship with the EU. We are currently working with colleagues across government to understand the issues and explore options.

Tomatoes: Research

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the research by Professor Graham Seymour into controlling the softening of the tomato fruit.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We welcome Professor Graham Seymour’s research project and my officials will be writing to him shortly to invite him to present his results to them.

Crops

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the harvest forecast for arable crops across the EU.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The UK contributes statistical data to the European Commission cereals harvest forecast, which is reviewed each month. The EU forecast for 2016/17, as at the end of October, indicates total cereals availability of 294.8 million tonnes. This represents a 5.4% reduction on 2015/16. EU harvest forecasts are published on the Commission’s website.

Oilseed Rape

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of erucic acid contamination of oilseed rape.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government is aware that a high level of erucic acid has been detected in some oilseed rape deliveries to crushing plants over the past year. The Government is working with the industry to understand the cause of the problem. A survey is being carried out by the supply chain to capture data on the seed used as well as the crop production, harvest and storage methods. This information will be independently analysed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Maximum permitted levels for erucic acid in products entering the food chain are set under EU Commission Regulation No 1881/2006 (as amended) setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Local authority enforcement officers undertake routine monitoring to check compliance with the legislation.